What do I do now?




You would mean that you loose money on a straight purchase over a lease. This is not the same for all models but the ones that MB subsidizes. That is typically done by discounting the financing (MF) and keeping the residual higher than in reality. This helps pushing numbers. BMW does the same.
Unless residuals have changed for the S450, the residual can be as high as 57% (at 7500 miles a year - don't worry about miles though, they are actually a non-issue even if you drive more. Over 20k miles I would suggest a different path). So if you forget the cost of financing, the cars value would be $54720 when you give the car back. I can tell you now that there is no way a 3 year low milage S450 will get that money at trade-in or private sale.
In MN you only have to pay sales tax on the lease period of the car, not the full amount. Don't know about Iowa. Big savings not to pay sales tax on the $55k residual. Plus if used for a business, you may have tax advantages when leasing. Financing will be low on the S450 and can be negotiated (I am think around 2% or so). There will be registration and other fees, similar to a purchase and I suggest to roll all (including the sales tax) into the lease with no money down. No money down is important. No trade-in unless you cash out (They buy the car from you and then cut you a check instead of applying money towards a lease).
Think of a lease as a hedge against depreciation. With new MB EV models starting to come on line with the next 2-3 years you have no idea what your car will be worth...
Last edited by Wolfman; Apr 15, 2018 at 06:58 PM.
You would mean that you loose money on a straight purchase over a lease. This is not the same for all models but the ones that MB subsidizes. That is typically done by discounting the financing (MF) and keeping the residual higher than in reality. This helps pushing numbers. BMW does the same.
Unless residuals have changed for the S450, the residual can be as high as 57% (at 7500 miles a year - don't worry about miles though, they are actually a non-issue even if you drive more. Over 20k miles I would suggest a different path). So if you forget the cost of financing, the cars value would be $54720 when you give the car back. I can tell you now that there is no way a 3 year low milage S450 will get that money at trade-in or private sale.
In MN you only have to pay sales tax on the lease period of the car, not the full amount. Don't know about Iowa. Big savings not to pay sales tax on the $55k residual. Plus if used for a business, you may have tax advantages when leasing. Financing will be low on the S450 and can be negotiated (I am think around 2% or so). There will be registration and other fees, similar to a purchase and I suggest to roll all (including the sales tax) into the lease with no money down. No money down is important. No trade-in unless you cash out (They buy the car from you and then cut you a check instead of applying money towards a lease).
Think of a lease as a hedge against depreciation. With new MB EV models starting to come on line with the next 2-3 years you have no idea what your car will be worth...





If what you want costs more since you're stuck needing a 2019 now, and you have to wait longer for it, just do it. You won't be happy unless you get what you want.
So what if you don't get the exact discount you want. You make your best deal, you shop it to death, and if you don't get 10% or 12% but can only get 7% or something like that, so what? It's chump change compared to the enjoyment you'll get out of getting the exact car you want... exactly. .
The Best of Mercedes & AMG

If what you want costs more since you're stuck needing a 2019 now, and you have to wait longer for it, just do it. You won't be happy unless you get what you want.
So what if you don't get the exact discount you want. You make your best deal, you shop it to death, and if you don't get 10% or 12% but can only get 7% or something like that, so what? It's chump change compared to the enjoyment you'll get out of getting the exact car you want... exactly. .




I too think that it will be MY 2021.
I too think that it will be MY 2021.








